


Cold Heart

by DamnitDamon



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians & Related Fandoms - All Media Types, Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Asshole Annabeth, Based on Frozen, Bratting, COMPLETE!, F/M, Gen, Good Luke Castellan, Nico di Angelo is a brat, Sad Percy, XD, but not the same, dialogues took from the movie, kind of, kind of written like the Grimm's lol, like Frozen, who brats
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-31
Updated: 2016-05-31
Packaged: 2018-07-11 07:07:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 8
Words: 11,239
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7035010
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DamnitDamon/pseuds/DamnitDamon
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Percy Jackson is a lonely and bitter young boy, who thought that all he needed was to be alone, and so everybody would be safe. Conceal, don't feel, don't let them know. No one could never know what he could do, no one came close, no one could save him. His blood is cold, and his heart, too. Can someone unfreeze the world in which he lives and show him that not everything is cold, before it's too late?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I'll just say that English is not my native language, so if there are any mistakes, I'm really sorry. I just hope you like the story; if there is a positive reaction, I'll post the rest :D  
> Enjoy!

The boy looked out the window, his blue eyes spying the day out there, just a little bit. It was snowing, kids playing and running, trowing snow balls at each other or building snowmen, all reunited at the Central Park, right before his apartment. He smiled, wanting so much to go out there, walk through the streets, to trow snow in the park and to build a snowman. It looked so good.

“ _Born of cold and winter air and mountain rain combining...”,_ he louly sang. The music was his eldest memory, sang by the voice of the mother he had never seen. “ _This icy force both foul and fair has frozen heart worth mining. So cut through the heart, cold and clear, strike for love and strike for fear, see the beauty, sharp and sheer, split the ice apart..._ ”, he kelt singing until, unconsciously, he touched the base of the window.

The boy pulled his hands back and looked horrified as the ice spread for the window, the wood freezing and the glass blurring. He looked at his own hands. Why coulnd't he contain himself?

He heard the creak of the room's door, and looked behind. His Dad looked at him with kind eyes, holding something in his hands. He kneeled in front of his son.

“Here”, he extended what he held, reveling itself to be a pair of black leather gloves. “The gloves will help.”

The boy took the gloves warily, quietely dressing them.

“See?”, the father smiled, covering his child's hand with his own. “Conceal it...”

“Don't feel it”, continued the boy.

“Don't let it show”, they completed together, smiling at each other.

A moment of silence passed, and the father asked:

“Do you wanna build a snowman?”

The boy's smile disappeared, and he looked at the window one last time. At the age of six, he carried too much on his shouders. Would he be able to control himself? Could he go and have fun, just play in the snow with his Dad? No. He would froze everybody and the fun would be gone. It would be the best for him to stay alone.

He shook his head to his Dad that, sighing, stood up and walked away. At the doorway, he looked to the boy one last time before going away.

The boy looked out the window again, watching the snowflakes falling as he sang the last part of his music:

“ _And break the frozen heart..._ ”

  
  


~~~~~~~ColdHeart~~~~~~~

  
  


Paul warily knocked at the door. He could feel the cold thruough the crack under it. The knob was so cold, with little wires of ice envolving it.

“Percy”, he called. “It's knowing out there. Do you wanna build a snowman?”

There was no answer from inside the room. Paul looked at his wife, who shrugged, putting her hand over his on the door handle, twisting it and quietly pushing the door.

The boy was at the bottom of the window again, looking at the cars passing on the streets and at the Central Park right after. His blue eyes had that depressed shade while he watched the snow slowly fall at the other side of the glass, covered by his messy white hair. Feeling observed, he looked behind to the door, and smiled to his Dad and Stepmom.

He lifted his hand in greeting, but, in a white flash, a thorn of ice appeared between his family and himself. He pulled his hand back, shutting his mouth with the other, his horrified expression mirroring his parents'.

“Percy-”, Stepmom Sally started, contorning the ice thorn in front of her.

“I'm scared!”, the boy exclamed, panting and wide eyed, pressing his hands against his own chest. “It's getting stronger!”

“Getting upset only makes it worse”, Paul said, trying to get closer. “Calm down.” He reached with his hand.

“No!”, Percy squeezed himself even more against the window. “Don't touch me, please! Please. I don't want to hurt you.”

Paul's eyes had gotten sad, his strength seemed to have gone away. Sally put her hand on his shoulder, trying to offer him comfort as Percy curled up in a ball, wanting to disappear.

  
  


~~~~~~~ColdHeart~~~~~~~

  
  


“Do you have to go?”, Percy asked, looking fearfully up to his Dad, who said:

“Yes. I'm thinking about using the money I'll gain in moving us to Quebec. What ya think?”, his smiled down to his son, who smiled back, and put his hand over his shoulder. Percy repressed the urge to pull away. “You'll be fine, Percy.”

Sally hugged her husband before he left to the airport. He promised he would come back soon, to celebrate Percy's eight years old birthday.

That night, there was a storm, one that should never have happened, so sudden that the weatherman couldn't even think about predicting it. The airplane which Paul was on was already flying when it started, and fell. There was no survivers.

Family and friends went to Paul's funeral. Percy didn't go. He refused to get out of his room, refused to accept the only person who supported him his entire life was gone forever. In the worst possible way, he gotten what he wanted.

He was alone.

Still in her grieving clothes, Sally slowly walked to her Stepson's room, her heels clicking on the floor. Paul had died in the Winter; Percy's favorite season. His birthday would be in the next day, three days after Paul's death. Sally stopped at cold door of the room, and took off her black beanie, clutching and twisting it in her hands, trying to find the right words. Finally, she took a deep breath and knocked three times.

“Percy”, she called. “Please, I know you're in there. People are asking where you've been... They say “have courage” and I'm trying to. I... I'm right here for you. Just let me in.” Silence from the room. Sally leaned her shoulder against the door, her face contorted in sadness. “We only have each other, Percy. It's just you and me... What are we gonna do?”. No answer. Leaning back against the door and sliding down until she sat on the floor, Sally let her head fall against the door, as a tear rolled down her face. “Do you wanna build a snowman?”

On the other side of the door, Percy was in the same position as his Stepmom, hugging his knees while he watched the snow fall from the room's ceiling and the furniture as it froze. His tears turned into ice and broke as they fell to the floor. He recoiled even more.

He was alone.

 


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I decided I didn't want to wait, so I just put the chapters there to people to read if they want to! xD Enjoy!

Pauls's death affected their lives even more than they initially expected. Their financial conditions became very bad. They used to live on the Upper East Side, but when the money became fairly little, Sally and her Stepson had to move to the Washington Heights. Paul's dreams about living in Quebec couldn't even be thought.

Sally had no money. She had locked the literature college and now worked at a confectionery called Sweet Amercia, but the money wasn't enough to sustain them. Finally, she met Gabriel Ugliano, or Gabe, who seemed nice at first sight, and was the manager of an appliances store. That was the reason why she married him, because she needed money. She had promised to look after Percy, the last thing she had of Paul, and the one her ex-husband cared about the most.

Plus. Paul had told her the truth about Percy's mother, and the second reason he had never let Percy go out. Gabe had an oh so disgusting smell that maybe it could hide Percy. The money wasn't the only reason she had married Gabriel, after all. At least, he was nice.

But Sally did not know what happened after she left for work.

The door of Percy's room was always closed while the days passed. There was a small door in it, through which Sally passed food ahd new clothes, but she never came in. Nor did Gabe. He already had tried to go in, but the knob was impossible to be twisted, and was so cold to the point of burning. Sally had already warned him that Percy was not very social. He had never even seen the kid.

But for four long years, Gabe was on the other side of the door, trowing insults and mean provocations.

“Stupid boy!”, he said, “why do you never come out, huh? Are you hiding something? Maybe too ugly to show your face, hm? Or maybe your just some lazy useless piece of shit!”. Silence was the only thing he got back, and it let him even more furious. “What about your Daddy? Probably would have kicked the bucked even if that plane hadn't fallen! Or maybe he just traveled to get away from you! And your Mommy? Probably just some whore he found out there, that ran and left some stupid baby that not even she wanted! That's what you are, right? Trash nobody wants?

And for four long years, everything Percy did was to clench his fists in fury, controlling not to just get out and kill that man. And Gabe was wrong, right? Sally cared about him. Why else would she have kept him, some weirdo with uncontrollable powers who only gave her trouble?

To calm himself down, he closed his eyes, rested his head on the wall against the bed and louly sang:

“ _Beautiful, powerful, dangerous cold. Ice has a magic, can't be controlled... Stronger than one, stronger than ten, stronger than a hundred man..._ ”

Gabe contined to go to his door, and Percu continued to control himself like he had done for years. He was twelve years old when Gabe finally managed to strike him hard enough.

“Oh, and dear Sally”, he tsked. “So kind, so beautiful, so careful. You know why she keeps you? She doesn't care about you! She just wants the last thing she got from your Daddy! Just looks after you because of him! If it wasn't for that, she would have already abandoned you! She told me herself!

Percy's heart tightned. What if Gabe was telling the truth? What if his Stepmom just cared because of Dad? His teeth clenched. If that's so, he had no reason to be there anymore.

Taking one glove off and pointing to the door, Percy saw a white flash that, in midair, turned into heavy cold air and took the door off its hinges, trowing Gabe back to the wall behind him.

Percy slowly walked to his Stepfather, this time singing lound and clear.

“ _Born of cold and winter air and mountain rain combining... This icy force both foul and fair has a frozen heart worth mining._ ” Gabe glogged to the first time he saw his Stepson, astonished to his white hair and ice-blue eyes. “ _Cut through the heart, cold and clear, strike for love and strike for fear..._ ” Fear was all Gabe felt as Percy knelt in front of him, over the fallen door that hadn't moved for years. “ _There's beauty and there's danger here; split the ice apart..._ ” Percy put his hand over Gabe's chest, too blinded by the anger to care about what he was about to do. “ _Beware the frozen heart_.”

And everything that was left of Gabriel Ugliano was a solid and unbreakable statue of ice.

  
  


~~~~~~~ColdHeart~~~~~~~

  
  


It was the Summer Solstice, but the snow fell in a storm on the entire country with no known reason, no matter how many people searched for it. Another unknown thing to the mortals, was the meeting happening on the top of the Empire State Building, and the Olimpian Gods, that all belived not to exist, discussed just the same thing as the American people.

Sitting on his throne, Zeus, the Lord of the Skies, said with a booming voice:

“Summon Boreas!”

The Throne Room doors were opened to reveal four divine beings. Two normal looking teenagers, except for their shining white hair and purple feathered wings. Among them was a pale beautiful girl with dark eyes and hair, dressed in a white dress. And the front of the three, a strong man in an elegant white suit and purple wings led the way to the middle of the room.

"My Lord", he made a slight bow to Zeus, followed closely by his three children.

"Boreas.", Zeus said in length. "You have been called here to discuss what has been happening recently in the mortal world. The United States is facing an intense winter since last month. It was you who caused it?"

Boreas frowned.

"I have nothing to do with it", said. "I did not know until Zetes told me three days ago-"

"Then how do you explain all this snow?"

As the interrogation to Boreas continued, the gray eyes of Athena, Goddess of Wisdom, came to the girl behind the Lord of the North Wind.

"Khione", her firm voice interrupted the words of Zeus in the middle of a question, "what do you have to say?

Khione, the pale young woman with dark eyes and hair, erased her smile before anyone else could see it.

"I did not do it", she said in a soft, but cold as snow, voice.

Apollo, the Sun god, nodded.

"She's telling the truth", he said, looking hesitant.

Athena narrowed his eyes at the Goddess of Snow.

"And you know who's doing it?", she asked.

Khione raised a dark eyebrow.

"Should I?"

"You are the Goddess of Snow and Ice. Of course you should know something, or someone, with the power to freeze an entire country. And then... Who. Is. Doing. That?"

Instead of answering, Khione smiled and closed her eyes, whispering:

" _ Strike for love and strike for fear... See the beauty, sharp and sheer; split the ice apart... _ ", she opened her eyes, which were no longer color of coffee, but ice-blue. " _ And break the frozen heart. _ ”

Apollo gasped to the music, pushing back against the back of his seat, his eyes wide.

"Apollo", Artemis frowned at her brother, concern shinning in her eyes. "What is it?"

"That song...", Apollo said between one breath and another. "My Oracle gave me another prophecy a little before revealing the Great Prophecy. I thought it was just a common quest to the Camp Half-Blood. I had no idea that would freeze the United States-"

"Apollo", Zeus called, his firm eyes now worried. "What was the prophecy?"

Apollo took a deep breath before reciting the verses:

_The dove will search for the lonely cold_

_Wisdom, fire and theft will try to outsmart_

_And when the world is completely uncontrolled_

_An act of true love will thaw the frozen heart._

Aphrodite almost let out a little excited scream. _An act of true love will thaw the frozen heart_. It sounded like a good fairy tale! Oh, how much she would enjoy it.

Athena leaned against her throne and put her hand on her chin thoughtfully.  _ The dove will search for the lonely cold _ . She grimaced. The fate of the Fire of the Western Civilization was in the hands of a child of Aphrodite? And what does "the lonely cold" mean? Would it be something else, not a human doing this? Was it... was it a demigod?  _ When the world is completely uncontrolled _ . Would this biting cold spread all around the world? Would it freeze the lakes, rivers and seas? Would it drag until Olympus? What would this "act of true love" be? And the frozen heart, would it be the cause of this Winter?

While Athena thought so deeply, and as the other gods argued heatedly, no one noticed the Khione's smile.

 


	3. Chapter 3

“You have to  _ stop _ that, Piper! It's the second time I get a complaint, and this time it's from the police! What were you thinking? To steal a BMW, Piper?!”

Piper gritted her teeth as she heard her father's scolding.  _ If you gave me more attention it wouldn't have happened. _ She knew she was acting like a sulky child, but this was the largest amount of attention that her father had given her. Being an actor not leave him much time for her. Piper frowned.  _ He was my father before he became an actor, and will continue to be my father now. _

Her multicolored eyes left her lap, back to the road, and widened.

"Dad, look out!", she yelled, seeing someone in the middle of the road, walking in the snow.

His father looked back at the road and braked sharply. The sharp sound of screeching made Piper want to cover her ears. After a lot of skidding, the car finally stopped.

Piper and her father, Tristan, left the car running to the fallen form that they had almost run over. They wore jeans, winter boots and hooded jacket that covered their face. Piper saw white wires coming out of the hood of the shadow, and swallowed. Had they hit an elderly?

"Hey-", Tristan called shakily, "-are you alright?"

The person made an effort to get up, and Piper and Tristan stepped to help them, but the desperate voice of a boy came from the figure:

"N-no! N-do not approach. I'm o-okay", he put his hands on the floor to get up, and finally managed to get up, staggering a little.

"You... you sure you're okay?", Piper asked, not really convinced.

The boy brought his gloved hands on the body, looking around as if searching for a way out.

"Yeah", it was all he said. Piper and her father had already decided it was just a kid, maybe the age of Piper, though a little higher.

"May I ask... What are you doing alone and away from home at this time?", Tristan asked carefully.

The boy was silent for some time, pondering if he should or should not tell the truth. Finally, he said:

"I ran away."

"Ran away from home?", Piper exclaimed, amazed.

"Yeah", he said. "Nobody cares. My stepfather, after four years, finally managed to convince me that."

Piper bit her lower lip, glancing at her father, before turning back to the boy and ask:

"You want to come with us?"

"What?", her father and the boy spoke at once.

"Yeah", Piper tried to give them a convincing smile. "You could come home with us. You know, get warm, get some sleep. What do you think?", she reached out to him.

Slowly, he reached out. When he was just centimeters from her, he pulled back.

"I can't", he whispered. His voice sounded choked up. "I can't control the curse."

Tristan frowned, putting up protectively in front of her daughter.

"What curse?", he asked.

The boy stared at the snow-covered ground.

"I was me", he whispered. "It was me who caused this winter."

Piper's eyes widened, taking a step away from her father's protection.

"It was you?", she exclaimed excitedly. "Well, then undo it! Please bring the summer back!"

"I can't", he whispered back.

"But-"

"Piper", Tristan reprimanded, "we don't even know if he's telling the truth."

"I am", and with that, the boy pulled off the hood.

Piper, followed closely by Tristan, gasped with the boy's appearence. His hair was messy and purely white. His skin was so pale it should not be possible. His eyes were as blue as ice, pulsing with power. His expression was sad, his posture dejected, and he had frozen tears on his cheeks. He took off one glove and pointed to the sky. A bright white arrow went flying, and then, in a small explosion, Piper and her father had snow falling on their heads.

Tristan looked amazed at the boy.

"It's really you doing it", he walked closer. "Then undo it, please. Bring the summer back!"

"Do not you understand?", growled the boy, replenishing the glove. "If I try, things will get worse! As I feared. I... I do not know how to stop." He looked at the other two. "You have to tell everyone to let me be alone."

Piper took his hand.

"Nobody wants to be alone", she said.

The boy jumped to move away from the girl, scared.

"Don't touch me", he gasped. "I don't want to hurt you." He looked away from the mesmerizing and pretty eyes of Piper. "I... I have to go." He turned to run.

"Hang on!", Piper tried to reach his hand again. "Why?"

The boy stopped maybe two meters away from her.

"Conceal, don't feel, don't let them know." He risked a glance at Piper and Tristan. His eyes looked darker. "Well, now you know." He turned to walk.

Piper stood in shock. This had been a long day! But she could still hear the last words sung by boy whose name she didn't know:

" _ Ice has a magic, can't be controlled. Stronger than one, stronger than ten, stronger than a hundred men... _ "

  
  


~~~~~~~ColdHeart~~~~~~~

  
  


Percy looked with wide eyes at the boy in front of him, and he looked at him the same way. They were three meters away from each other, but Percy could still feel the heat wave from the other boy, who felt the cold coming from Percy.

"Who... who are you?", the boy asked.

Percy swallowed hard before answering:

"I'm Percy. And who are you?"

The boy copied him, adding a deep breath.

"I'm Leo." He looked around, but the two were alone in the alley. "Why?"

"Why what?", Percy frowned.

"Why are you doing this?", Leo pointed to the snow on the ground. It had stopped snowing, and the storm had also stopped at the time Percy had approached Leo. "I saw your conversation with those two. I know it's you doing this winter." He took a step toward Percy, who pulled away instinctively. "Don't isolate yourself anymore. The cold doesn't bother me anyway."

Leo, without any problem, took Percy's wrist, who looked at him amazed.

"How..." he began.

In response, Leo showed him his hand with the palm facing up. A small flame appeared.

Percy's eyes twinkled merrily.

"You... You have powers like me!", he cried out, before all happiness vanished. "But you can control, right?"

Leo looked down.

"Not so much", he whispered sadly. "My mother died in a fire that I caused."

Percy's eyes widened, embracing Leo awkwardly (he had never hugged anyone) for comfort, rubbing his back as the other boy began to cry.

After all, they both smiled. Here was a feature that could unite them. Leo would never freeze. And Percy would never burn. Here was someone who understood all the pain of rejection and fear. Here was someone they could live with.

Someone they could embrace without hurting.

 


	4. Chapter 4

"Leo, run!", the white-haired boy shouted to the dark eyed one, running right behind him.

"I am running!", Leo gasped, running as fast as he could. "What is it?"

"I don't know!", Percy yelled back, risking a look behind him. "It looks like a giant dog!"

A black dog the size of a garbage truck with bright red eyes, Percy thought, but decided not to say it. He and Leo ran endlessly through the streets of Connecticut, and no one seemed to notice the giant dog, just the strange boy with white skin and hair and the Latin other.

The monster was on their heels, and the two boys could not run forever. What would they do when the black dog reached them? The answer was answered when they reached a dead end, surrounded between the wall and the monster.

Percy was the first to act in their defense. While the monster was running to get them at the end of the alley, he stepped in front of Leo protectively, took one glove and pointed his palm monster. An ice lightning flew into the black dog, which, in a second, was frozen into a thick layer of ice that covered him like a second skin.

Silence. Leo looked at Percy with wide eyes, then turned to the frozen beast. He was about to let out a sigh of relief when he heard the sharp sound of something cracking. He barely had time to blink before seeing the ice breaks and the monster jump up his new best friend.

The razor teeth of thing dug on Percy's arm, who shouted in hallucinating pain. Using the teeth still in the boy's arm, the monster turned his head, and Percy was thrown against the side wall of the alley, falling to the ground soon after with a heavy thud.

Leo's eyes flashed with new force: the power of hatred. He had just seen his best friend fall in a bloody and dirty snow-covered ground, and did nothing to prevent. He used to be a nice and friendly guy, but at that moment what he wanted most was to kill that beast who hurt Percy.

It was his turn to raise his hand, which, unlike Percy, was always discovered, and point it to the black dog. A wall of flames went straight towards the beast that howled as it was burned alive, before discarding in powder as the flames went out.

Leo stood panting for a moment, before remembering his wounded friend and run toward him, kneeling at his side.

A small pool of blood formed around Percy's arm, which, though conscious, still looked stunned. His arm was covered in blood and seemed to be been opened by a scalpel, and had the skin pulled to the side, showing the muscle of his arm.

"Percy!", Leo exclamed. He tore the hem of his shirt in a strip, wrapping it carelessly around Percy's arm, rising then and gesturing desperately. "Stay here, okay? I will look for something to treat this, alcohol and clean bandages, and...", his next sentences were spoken in Spanish, and of course Percy did not understand.

Leo made a small fire appear at Percy's feet before rushing out to look for something to help Percy.

If only he knew he was not coming back.

  
  


~~~~~~~ColdHeart~~~~~~~

  
  


Piper tapped her foot impatiently as she waited for the woman behind the counter to return what she had just bought. Oh, she sure would act much more quickly if she knew who Piper's fathe wasr, but the girl wouldn't do that to the poor lady-

"Hey, boy! Where do you think your going with it?", a shriek interrupted her thoughts, making her turn to see what was happening.

The shop owner holding the arm of a boy with curly hair and dark eyes, which had a first aid kit on hand.

"Please sir!", he said, looking at the man with fearful eyes. "My friend is hurt. He needs it! Please release me and let me help him!"

"You can't fool me with that, boy!", said the owner of the store. "You think that were no others like you saying the same thing? C'mon, I'll call the orphanage staff."

"No!", the boy started kicking with wide eyes. "No, not again! Please!"

The man dragged the boy out to the back of the store.

The woman behind the counter handed what Piper had bought. Of course, she did not need that. She could ask for anything, and would give grace to know that his father was the great Tristan McLean, but she liked to act like a normal girl sometimes. She tried not to give much importance to the boy who tried to steal a first aid box, but was nervous. And if he was telling the truth? And if his friend really was hurt?

Piper left the store thinking about it, and after some time walking, she heard a low moan coming from an alley. She walked slowly and carefully to the dirty alley and saw a white-haired boy clutching a piece of cloth covered in blood to his arm, sitting near a small fire.

Piper would recognize that white messy hair anywhere.

"You!", she exclaimed.

The boy lifted his head so fast that Piper thought it would fall. She was greeted by bright ice blue eyes she only had seen once before.

"You." He whispered amazed. "What are you doing here?"

Piper slowly approached. She perfectly remembered her last meeting with him, and also remembered his rejection to the approach and the touch.

"Are you hurt?", Piper asked, feeling a spark of concern for him. "It is you that this Latin boy talking about?"

The boy's eyes widened even more.

"Leo?", his voice, despite the terror, was low and weak. "Have you seen him?"

Piper finally sat next to him, who shifted uncomfortably and tried to pull away, but Piper grabbed his good shoulder.

"Yeah", she tried to distract him. "Your friend Leo tried to steal the quite first-aid kit from a store. When he said he had an injured friend, the owner thought he was lying. He said he would call the police and that your friend would go to an orphanage."

The boy's face was sad, but he said nothing. The silence was deafening and seemed to last for hours, until Piper could take no more.

"You... won't try to do anything?", she asked curiously. "I mean... You have powers."

He frowned at her.

"I learned that my power has major consequences", he said, looking away to the ground soon after. "And Leo is not the first person I lose. I want him back, but... There's nothing I can do." At the end of his bitter phrase, he hissed at his bloodied arm.

Piper moved to help, but the boy did not allow her to approach, and she sighed in frustration.

"Look...", she looked at him with a question in her eyes.

He understood, but did not answer right away.

"Percy", he finally said.

"Look, Percy, I just want to help you. I promise you won't hurt me."

"How can you promise me that?"

Piper's face softened.

"I don't know you very well, but I already understand something", she came closer and touched his uninjured arm. "You're not a bad person, Percy, you have no intention to hurt. You won't hurt me."

Percy's eyes were glazed over for a moment, and he felt an overwhelming desire to do what the girl said.

"I won't hurt you", he repeated almost robotically.

Piper nodded, and he nodded back. She hid her smile.

"Let's take a look at this."

She took off her coat and pulled the long sleeve of Percy's shirt gently, but Percy still shrieked in pain. A question arose in Piper's head: If Percy was and was immune to the cold, why to wear warm clothes as if he wanted more than anything to warm up?

The cut was ugly and had a bite format, but Piper doubted it was a normal dog. She tore a strip from her clean shirt and tried to clean the wound of blood that had already stopped bleeding. When she had already cleaned everything up, she realized something.

On Percy's wrist, just above the black glove, the skin looked blue as ice. Weird. Piper risked a glance at Percy, who was distracted watching the cars moving at distance. Piper realized that if she asked the reason of Percy's skin is blue, he would answer that it was nothing, move away and she would never find out. The time to learn it was now.

In one swift motion, she yanked the glove. And she cried out.

"What is that?!"

Percy stared at her, noticing then that she said, and his face would have turned paler if it wasn't already so absurdly white.

Piper's reason to yelling, was that Percy's hand wasn't flesh and blood. It was solid ice.

 


	5. Chapter 5

Annabeth snorted, kicking the sand at her feet as she walked. Sand that now was snow. She frowned, wondering if the Earth seen from a satellite would now be white and light blue. A few places were still warm, and just because men did everything to keep them that way. Scientists called New Ice Age, and desperately tried to find a reason for it, but the answer was beyond their understanding.

Annabeth had thought it to be an angry deity of the north wind and it would last a short time. Until the ice storm arrived at Camp Half-Blood, and froze the hottest places in the world. It was hopeless. Until the disease had changed. Everything seemed to summarize hypothermia, for the cold was too much. Annabeth did not even know what it was like not to feel cold anymore, bundled up or not.

The night before, her mother had appeared in her dreams. She told her about the prophecy, and Annabeth, after seven years training at the camp, was looking forward to a mission. But Athena warned her. This force, this "lonely cold," was more powerful than all the gods would have expected. Her mother had told her of her suspicions. She believed that the cause of this winter was a child of Khione, who for so long had been prohibited from having children to avoid similar situations.

Annabeth did not doubt that the goddess was right. She was heading toward the Big House, having been called by Chiron. Finally reaching the porch, she looked at the others present there.

Mr. D playing pinochle with Chiron seemed normal for a summer afternoon. But it was a winter afternoon. Mr. D and Chiron were not playing, no, they looked somberly at the small television, which, as always, showed what the cold, ice and snow were doing in the world. The unusual in this winter afternoon that day was that there were three people with them.

One of them was Luke. Annabeth blushed. She had a crush on him since she was seven. But he was nineteen, and she was fourteen. He was too old for her, or so her best friend said. This best friend was one of the other people who were there with Luke. His name was Leo, and he had come to Camp Half-Blood two years ago. He said no details on how, and no one was willing to ask with so much going on.

The other person who was there was the most amazing: Athena, Goddess of Wisdom and Strategy in Battle.

"Annabeth!", Chiron was the first to notice her presence. "I am glad you could join us."

"What is going on?", she went straight to the point. There had to be something going on, if not why would she be here?

Her mother stood, watching her with a strange gleam in her eyes.

"I chose you to lead the mission to find the cause of this winter", she said with a stoic look. "And these two will accompany you."

Annabeth tried to hide her smile of satisfaction for being chosen. Then she frowned.

"Why Luke and Leo?", she asked.

"The prophecy says:  _ Wisdom, fire and theft will try to outsmart _ ", said Athena. "I believe it's talking about a child of mine, a Hephaestus' and Hermes'. I just chose the best ones."

Annabeth avoided to smile again when making her next question:

"What about the first verse? About the dove searching for the 'lonely cold'?"

Athena made a face, and it was Chiron who answered:

"Piper McLean has been sent to the search."

Annabeth frowned again.

"The new girl of Cabin 10?", she asked, for the second time feeling confused. "Why her? She's a newcomer. Why not Silena?"

"Miss. Mclean has proved much more suitable for the quest", clarified Chiron. " Besides... she claimed to know what's causing all this. She said he's called Percy."

Athena nodded looking proud.

"Yes, and then she gave me this information, I was able to locate the boy", she raised her hand, from which flowed a strange gray mist. It began to move, acquiring color and shape, finally showing what she wanted after a few seconds.

Two boys, looking involved in a heated argument. One of them was familiar, having eyes and dark hair, wearing an aviator jacket, wearing a skull ring...

"Di Angelo", Luke muttered, narrowing his eyes.

The other boy called more attention. His messy hair and skin were white as snow, and his eyes, blue as ice. He was wearing blue jeans, thick light blue long-sleeved shirt and boots, coat and black leather gloves. He seemed a little anxious and sad arguing with Nico di Angelo.

Leo gasped, causing everyone in the balcony to stare strangely at him.

"Leo?", Luke said, frowning. "What is it?"

Leo took a few more seconds of surprise before answering.

"I know him!", he exclaimed. "That's Percy! He's my friend!"

Athena's gaze hardened, her face contorting into a deep frown.

"Well, you should go prepare your things, young man", she said, looking at Luke and Annabeth in a sign to stay. "It will be a hard quest."

Leo looked confused, but bowed to the goddess and ran to Cabin 9.

Athena looked at her daughter and Luke with a steady gaze that said she would not let anything interpose in her way.

"Be prepared for everything", she said solemnly. "And should you encounter this Percy, you are to put an end to this Winter. Do you understand?"

Luke and Annabeth nodded obediently.

  
  


~~~~~~~ColdHeart~~~~~~~

  
  


Percy sighed looking at his friend. He was very young but had already been through so much. The newly discovered son of Hades did not know his secret. He did not know it was Percy's power that was covering the world with snow, and Percy had not really wanted to tell. He did not want to lose the only person he still had. But now Nico stood before him with folded arms, wanting answers.

"Come on, Percy, I know you're hiding something from me", Nico said angry. "Tell me now!"

Percy shook his head looking at his feet.

"No, Nico. You want answers, but they will not make you happy. In the end, you will not want to know. Can't you leave everything as it is?"

Nico shook his head heavily.

"I don't understand, Percy!", he threw his arms up in exasperation. "You want me to trust you, but how? I don't know anything about you! I just lost my sister, Percy, because that Thalia girl couldn't keep a promise! How do you want me to trust you if you don't trust me enough to tell me what's going on?!"

There was an angry glint in Percy's eyes that made them look thin ice on dark water.

"This conversation is over, Nico", he said getting up. "I'll give you your answers at the right time. Now, excuse me."

Percy passed him and started to walk away, Nico left surprised behind. But the boy would not give up easily. He turned to where Percy was going.

"What? Percy, no. No, wait!", In his desperation to grab Percy's hand and make him stop, Nico took off his leather glove.

Percy panted, turning and pressing his discovered hand against his chest, trying to get his glove back while trying to hide the ice that was his hand.

"Give me my glove!"

Nico held the glove tightly when Percy tried to catch it.

"Percy, please. Please, I can't live like this anymore, without trusting!", Nico tried to reason.

Percy looked frozen with betrayed tears in his ice eyes.

"Then leave", he said, pressing his lips together to try to stop the tears.

Nico stepped back in shock.

Percy turned again, his jaw locked and his head down, sighing before resuming his departure.

Nico's eyes widened in anger to be rejected so many times as he watched him go, finding his voice again.

"What did I ever do to you?", he screamed.

"Enough, Nico", Percy said without turning around.

"No!", Nico started to follow him. "Why? Why do shut me out? Why do you shut the world out? What are you so afraid of?!"

"I said,  _ enough! _ ", Percy turned, his voice echoing and his discovered hand trowing a chilly lightening that made ice spikes pop out of the ground in a wall of thorns between him and Nico.

Realizing what he had done, Percy shook his traitorous hand against his chest, a horror mask on his face. Nico looked at him with the same expression.

"Percy..."

Percy looked at him with wide eyes. What would he do now? What he had always done. Run.

"No", he muttered, starting to run away from his... former friend.

He was in a forest. If Nico followed him, which he probably wouldn't, he wouldn't find him hiding in the trees-

"Percy!", he heard Nico's voice coming from the trees behind him. "Percy!"

_No, no. Why is he following me?_

Percy stopped. There he was, on the edge of the forest on the banks of a huge lake which, surprisingly, was not frozen. But if Percy wanted to escape, that would change.

Putting his foot on the lake water, it slowly froze. While running on the freezing lake, he could feel the ice on his neck to reach his jaw, and almost tripped. But he couldn't stop now.

"Please, wait!", risking a look back, Percy saw Nico coming to the edge of the forest, and tried to run faster.

"Percy, stop!", Nico slipped and fell on ice that used to be water from the huge lake. Raising his head, he saw Percy vanish on the other side of the lake, heading for the safety of the trees. "No."

He watched as the lake froze, completely unable to do anything.

Now he knew the truth. And Percy was right.

He didn't want to know, after all.

 


	6. Chapter 6

Piper looked at her feet, listening to the sound they made as they crushed the snow under them. She didn't have much reference to start looking. The prophecy said that she should look for the lonely cold, which very obviously was Percy, but did not give her any direction to follow. It had been two years since she had seen Percy for the last time, and he could be anywhere now.

Piper sighed. She remembered the last time she had seen him. He remembered the solid ice hand he had, the look of horror on his face that she had found out what he had tried to hide for years. But why? Why was it freezing when cold should not bother him? Lady Athena believed he was a son of Khione, the Goddess of Snow and Ice. But what if she knew that the more the world changes, the more he freezes?

 _And when the world is completely uncontrolled, an act of true love will thaw the frozen heart._ Is the answer to the prophecy right under their noses? The world had changed dramatically. Even the Sahara, the hottest desert earth, had become a huge snow desert. There were only those dots on the map, those ecological reserves that had attracted so many people, that were only there because humans tried to preserve them. But soon the cold would go there too, and the world would be surrounded by an ice handle with firm grip.

Piper's job was to prevent it. She knew Percy, she knew he was a good person. If she talked to him, maybe he would undo the Winter and bring the Summer back. _But what if he doesn't know how to do that?_ , questioned her own voice in her mind. _What if he can't bring the Summer back?_

Piper shook her head. She didn't know how she was going to find Percy and undo the Winter, but certainly, somehow she would. That was her mission, and Piper could not disappoint everyone. She couldn't let anyone else die of hypothermia, couldn't let children shaking under their blankets, couldn't let the fear prevent everyone from leaving home.

She lifted her head, staring at the frozen water droplets on white covered trees. There was a frozen creek there, drawing the white ground. Piper smiled. People could want the Summer at all costs, but no one can deny the beauty of Winter.

Piper tried not to jump in surprise when she realized she wasn't alone there. There was someone sitting in the stream's edge. She took half a second to recognize the white head turned down, with a dark blue scarf wrapped tightly around his neck.

As quietly as possible, she approached and sat next to Percy. She was pleased when he did not pull away and was glad that he felt safe enough that he wouldn't hurt her.

They were silent for a while.

"You don't give up, do you?", he broke the silence with such a low voice that could be confused with a whisper of the wind.

Piper thought in a answer.

"My mission is to find you and make you bring Summer back", she said, patiently waiting to be answered.

"Well, I'm afraid you'll have to return empty-handed. I don't know how to undo the Winter."

Looking at Percy's face, Piper realized he was not as calm as his voice. He looked anxious and uncomfortable. He was afraid of hurting her, after all. She tried to hide her disappointment.

"You know, you don't have to live in fear", she said.

He sneered.

"Fear makes choices in which the risk is lower", he replied.

"You no longer have to run. Just bring the Summer back."

Percy sighed, standing up. He would be lying if he said he didn't want to do what Piper asked, and it was not just because this charm she had in her voice. He hated the notion that he was falling for Piper. How not? She was beautiful, smart and gentle, anyone would love her. He was unprepared; couldn't resist.

"Piper, please go back home", he said avoiding her multicolored eyes. "Your life awaits."

"Yes, but-" She took a step forward.

"I know!", Percy raised his hands to stop. "You want the Summer back. But just stay away and you'll be safe from me", he tried to pull away from her.

"Actually, I won't. - Piper began to chafe. "I won't turn away. I get the feeling you don't notice that the world is covered with snow, Percy! You set off an eternal Winter everywhere. But you can just unfreeze it!", she tried to smile, but it only made Percy more upset.

"No, I can't, Piper. I don't know how!"

"Sure you can. I know I can!"

Percy turned to run, but he doubted he could escape this time. He was still tired from the last rush to get away from Nico, his limbs numb where they were frozen.

"I'm such a fool", he muttered to himself. "I can't be free." He looked at his hands, which covered even caused so much damage. "I can't control the curse", he didn't see the blizzard forming around him.

Piper approached cautiously, struggling to stand up in the powerful wind.

"We'll everse the storm you made!", she shouted above the wind noise.

"Piper, please, you'll only make it worse!", he yelled back, feeling more helpless than he had ever felt.

"Don't panic!", now she was who was causing a storm, even if unintentionally. "We'll make the sun shine bright!

"Piper!", he finally turned to her. "You're not safe here!"

"We can face this thing together!"

"No!"

"Everything will be alright!"

" _I can't!_ ", he screamed, and a wave of snow and cold wind trowed Piper meters away from there to a cliff that she hadn't seen there before.

Piper tried to hold the snow, but that white sand wasn't firm. She cried out in the fall, but hitting the ground, it was like falling into a pillow. For a moment she felt grateful for the world was covered with snow. That used to be a warm place with hard ground.

Piper stared at the cliff meters above incredulously. She never expected Percy to do something like that, that he would let himself go out of control that way. It could have been worse, she thought.

She was deep in thought for so long that almost didn't notice the figure trying to go unnoticed a few meters away.

His head moved like lightning to see who it was, and she was startled when he did.

"Nico?!"

The son of Hades scratched his neck.

"Uh, hi, Piper", he said. "How are you?"

  
  


~~~~~~~ColdHeart~~~~~~~

  
  


"We are here to find the lonely cold", Annabeth said seriously up her Pegasus. "Be on guard."

Leo snorted.

"Percy is not dangerous."

Annabeth looked as if he had just fallen from space.

"Someone who can freeze the _whole_ world is dangerous for me", she said. Exchanging a look with Luke, they did an agreement not to tell Leo what would happen once they reached the end of the quest. She looked down and saw the glow of sunlight on ice that should not be there, in the woods. "There."

They landed behind some trees that were between them and the clearing with a creek from which came the glowing. Looking through them, they had a clear vision: a simple chair, made of ice, occupied by a aparently fatigued Percy Jackson.

It was the right time to get him.

Leo was confused when Luke and Annabeth wielded their swords, but didn't ask questions, following them through the now white trees instead .

Percy jumped when he saw them, though his eyes shone with excitement to see Leo.

"Leo!", he said smiling. "You're alright."

"I am", it hadn't been a question, but Leo didn't care. "Sorry, man, but you have to come with-"

"Save it", Annabeth interrupted, tightening her hands around her bow and raising the other to catch an arrow. "Let's get this over with."

"What?" Leo's eyes widened, but not Luke, who had unsheathed his sword, nor Annabeth said anything.

Percy was swallowed by despair to see the deadly guns pointed in his direction. He raised his hand, and five small snow eddies formed, disappeared in a few seconds and revealing five ice soldiers. They advanced to the missionaries.

Leo was the first to react, and so became the main target of the soldiers. He shot a burst of fire to the deadly ice advancing towards him, but those things were hard to melt. When they crumbled into water, the snow on the ground climbed and remade them, and then they attacked again. And Leo was alone. He had no sign of Percy, Annabeth and Luke.

While Leo fought the ice soldiers, Percy ran through the woods, trying to escape from Luke, Annabeth and their terrible bronze weapons. Invoking an ice ladder, he climbed in the near cliff, running as fast as he could. Lucky had experience enough not to slip on the ice.

"Up there!", shouted Luke's voice.

"C'mon!", Annabeth's voice.

Finally reaching the top, Percy didn't stop. He kept running tirelessly, stopping only to find another cliff, this time to descend. How can there be so many cliffs in one place?, he thought.

"We caught him."

Percy turned panting, eyes wide to the blade pointed at him, just a few meters away.

"No! Please", he tried.

Without hesitation, Annabeth released her arrow, aiming to Percy's forehead. The boy raised his hands to protect himself and closed his eyes, waiting for death. But it did not come. Hearing a low click, he opened his eyes, staring at the tip of the arrow that almost killed him, intercepted by a piece of ice that had risen from the floor to defend him.

"Go around", Luke said to Annabeth. "Shoot!"

"Stay away!", Percy cried, invoking various thorns of ice to bring down the other two teenagers, who fell to the ground, but quickly rose back.

"Fire, fire!", shouted Luke.

Annabeth scored another arrow, but had no time to shoot when Percy threw other icy thorns to prevent them.

"Get him! Get him!", she screamed at Luke.

Reasonably away, Leo threw another pillar of fire in the ice soldiers, then using his two kilos hammer, making one of his opponents shatter into a million pieces, not returning to retire.

The others seemed surprised, and Leo used this little distraction to quickly locate the ice ladder nearly a kilometer away and run to it.

In the top of the stairs, Leo threw a fireball to melt the staircase, so that his icy enemies couldn't reach him. Running his eyes over the space around him, he heard the cries of Luke and Annabeth and ran, not knowing very well who he should have to help.

Percy didn't know which way to look. Luke, on his left with sword in hand, or Annabeth, on his right with the bow ready to shoot? He pointed to the ground, and several ice tips emerged, holding Annabeth against a nearby tree, two under his arms, the other two sides of her waist and under her chin, giving her a hard time using her bow.

But not making it impossible.

Percy threw a flurry of snow against Luke, knocking him down and throwing away the sword from his hand. The blonde got up and tried to run away, but Percy raised an ice wall that prevented him from going further. He tried to go to the other side, but the so-called lonely cold erected another wall, surrounding the son of Hermes by both sides. Finally, he made a third wall Luke pushed against the cliff edge, that would eventually make him to fall.

That's when Leo arrived, getting awed by the scene before him. He knew Percy was powerful, but never expected him to put defeat the best fighters of the Camp. But he also noted that Annabeth could lift the bow nearly enough, and would soon shoot Percy...

"Percy!", he shouted, but the friend ignored him, focused on the task of pushing Luke to death. "Don't be the monster they fear you are!"

This made Percy stop, looking at Leo with horror in his eyes, then realizing what he had done.

Annabeth finally had the perfect aim, but Leo saw it. He ran to hold the arm of the girl, but the arrow was deflected just a little of his real target, missing the heart, but reaching Percy's left shoulder.

Percy yelled, holding his bleeding shoulder. Trying to ignore the pain, he made a second ladder ice emerge on the cliff edge, right next to Luke, and ran down.

 


	7. Chapter 7

"So... You and Percy were friends?", Piper spoke awkwardly. She had never worked very well with Nico di Angelo.

Nico's delay to answer reminded Piper a little of Percy.

"Yeah", he said at last. "We had some trust issues going on before we parted. I was looking for him when I found you.", he shrugged. "It wasn't very difficult to find him. I just needed someone to get him angry."

Piper felt her throat tighten for a moment.

"I got him angry?", she asked, although even before doing so the answer was already obvious to her.

Nico raised an eyebrow, looking impressed.

"Isn't it obvious?"

It is. Piper leaned over, staring at the floor and pressing her head in her hands.

"I just wanted to understand him", she muttered, closing her eyes. "I wanted him to trust me enough to tell me the problem, because obviously there is one that he doesn't want to tell. I wanted him to know I'm here for him."

"Oh, I know how it is", Nico's tone sounded so bitter that it made Piper shrunk even more. "We had a discussion about it just before he ran away. Trust issues, like I said."

Silence. The air was so thick it could be cut by a knife. Piper shifted uncomfortably in her sitting position on the fallen trunk, feeling the weight of disappointment weighing on her shoulders. She had come so close! She had spoken with Percy, and had almost managed to succeed in her quest. If she just had used the right words...

"Percy needs a bit of a fixer-upper", Nico continued. "But I'm sure you can fix him." He looked up, a slight smile on his lips. "Do you think he never told me about you before? Piper, the girl whose father almost hit him; Piper, the girl who healed his wounds when his friend Leo was taken; Piper, so beautiful and brave, who had more than once asked for the end of the New Ice Age?"

Piper's mouth formed a perfect O. Percy had talked about her? She felt herself blush. There was something about Percy that made her stomach turn with butterflies and set a warmth in her heart, and even if he had almost killed her by throwing her off that cliff, she felt strangely safe near him...

Piper looked at Nico to see him watching her with an amused expression, as if he knew exactly what she was thinking. He got up.

"Let's go", he reached out to her. "I'll take you to a place where I know Percy will be."

  
  


~~~~~~~ColdHeart~~~~~~~

  
  


Percy walked from one side to the other. He was in the middle of the same lake where he had seen Nico for the last time, when he had lost the only person he still had, thanks to his stupidity.

"Get it together", he muttered to himself, hugging his own torso. "Control it...", he put his gloved hands in front of his eyes, squeezing them together. "Don't feel it, don't feel it...", he pressed his fingers against his temples. " _Don't feel!_ "

He looked up to see the ice around rising in small thorns, as he felt the control escape him. A huge snowstorm began to form around him, spreading across the lake, and around the world.

Percy froze at the sound of a knock on the ice over the storm, the unmistakable sound of footsteps. He looked around, trying to see where the steps came from, but couldn't see through in the windy snow everywhere.

"Percy!", he heard a female voice behind him and turned, hopeful that it was Piper, but it wasn't. Who spoke to him in the middle of all that storm was a girl with blond princess curls, and cold, hard and like-steel gray eyes. "You can't run from this!"

Annabeth Chase, daughter of Athena. Percy looked at the blond boy Nico called Luke, son of Hermes, right behind her. He vaguely remembered the first time he had spoken of Piper to Nico, and he had said that Luke had a crush on the daughter of Aphrodite since she arrived at the camp. Percy could not deny his feelings for Piper, he knew he was in love with her, even if they only had seen each other a few times, all ending in disaster. But Luke... He could make her happy.

"Just take care of Piper", he said. Luke was about to answer, but Annabeth was faster.

"Piper? she returned from her search weak and cold. She had been hit by heavy snowfall which gave her a strong case of hypothermia!"

"No", Percy muttered to himself.

"We tried to save her, but it was too late", Annabeth continued. "Piper died, Percy!" Because of you!"

"No", Percy looked around at the storm he had provoked, suddenly feeling a weakness that made him fall.

Hiding his face in his hands, Percy let the tears fall down his face. Oh, gods, he had killed Piper! The gentle, wonderful Piper. Now there was nothing left. He no longer cared if the world would freeze, and with the world, himself. Why fight if the only person he fell in love with was dead? Because of _him_?

"Percy!", Percy heard again, but this time it wasn't Annabeth. He lifted his head from his hands, his eyes red and swollen, his face hard with frozen tears, and halted to a stop.

Running toward him, was Piper, alive and well. A few steps behind, it was Nico, his worried expression as he looked at his friend kneeling on the ground, vulnerable to attack from demigods.

"Piper!", Percy smiled, standing up. "You're alright!"

She smiled back, though she seemed to be a little confused.

"Of course I am!", she told him. "Why wouldn't I be?"

"I thought-", he began, but was interrupted.

" _You!_ ", Annabeth ripped Luke's scabbard, advancing toward the daughter of Aphrodite. "You're a disgrace to us! You ruined this quest, you condemned the world to an eternal Winter! I wouldn't expect less from a child of Aphrodite! " _Wisdom, fire and theft fwill try to outsmart._ " Probably not to let you do something stupid, but how to prevent a child of Aphrodite to do something wrong?!

Piper could feel her blood heating up with every word the daughter of Athena, and prepared to attack, but could not predict Annabeth attack in the middle of the huge ice storm.

Luke's sword, wielded by Annabeth, came towards her.

Piper knelt down and buried her face to defend herself, knowing it was useless.

" _No!_ ", Percy ran to Piper, setting up standing between her and the sword, raising his hand to intercept it, feeling the ice reaching his cheeks...

Far away, the last drop of water became ice.

And Luke's sword, wielded by Annabeth, broke into pieces as it hit an ice statue.

  
  


~~~~~~~ColdHeart~~~~~~~

  
  


"Percy!", Piper got up from her kneeling position, her gaze ranging from Annabeth, lying on the ground, trowed away for the shock of the sword against solid ice; Luke, paralyzed in shock; Nico, looking sadly a few meters away; Leo, who at some point had appeared out of nowhere, kneeling on the floor, his face buried in his hands, his thin body shaking with sobs.

And Percy. Only an ice blue statue, one hand raised to stop Annabeth's sword, the other curved slightly to behind him, wearing a determined expression. He saved me, Piper thought. He knew he would become an ice statue. But instead of looking for warmth, he saved me. These thoughts went flying through her mind as she stared at the statue of whom, she realized, loved.

"Oh, Percy...", she felt the tears slipping down her cheeks. "No... No, please, no."

Piper, standing in front of the that statue one day was Percy, held his face in her hands, sobbing. Percy's face was beautiful, a little delicate, with a perfect chin and nose. A face that would never change, that would always be the same, frozen forever.

"Percy", she sobbed. And then, arranging the courage that had escaped her when she still had a chance, she pressed her lips against his, kissing him gently. One part of her brain wondered how strange it should look now, kissing an ice statue, but she didn't care. All that mattered was Percy.

Piper didn't know how long she stood there with his arms around Percy's frozen shoulders, but at some point, she began to feel a warmth on his lips pressed against hers, and a pleasant softness...

She heard gasps of shock around her, and separated from Percy, opening her eyes that only now she realized she had closed.

And she found beautiful ice-blue eyes looking back at her.

"Percy?", Piper felt a huge smile on her face, before pressing them again against Percy, who returned the kiss, as he wrapped his now warm arms around her.

"Piper", he whispered against her lips, and she separated them.

"You sacrificed yourself... for me?", she asked, smiling hopefully.

Percy smiled sweetly at her.

"I love you", And, more certain than ever.

Piper smiled happily at him, and they heard the excited voice of Leo:

"An act of true love will thaw the frozen heart!"

Percy, holding the hands of Piper looked at Leo thoughtfully.

"Love will thaw...", he muttered, before widening his eyes and looking at Piper with a smile. "Love! Of course!", he let go of the hands of Piper, looking around the world that he had frozen.

"Percy?", Piper asked.

"Love!", Percy raised his hands, and around the world, the snow lifted from the ground, magically going back into Percy's hands, the world turning back to warm. The lake under their feet thawed, and Percy made a small ice platform appear under them so they wouldn't sink.

Piper put her hand on one of Percy's shoulders, smiling.

"I knew you could do it."

"Hands down-", called the lively voice of Leo again, which made them turn to look at him. "-this is the best day of my life!"

Percy and Piper laughed, followed by Nico and Luke. Quickly stopping their laugh, everyone turned to where Annabeth had been lying, to see her standing and approaching them with a solemn look.

"I'm sorry", he said, addressing Piper. "I should not have said what I said. It's just that this is my first quest, and I... I wanted to make my mother proud."

"I do not see how harsh words and insults would make her proud", Percy spoke politely, frowning.

Annabeth looked slightly embarrassed.

"So I believe apologies are not enough."

"No", Piper agreed. "It's not", she slowly walked towards the daughter of Athena, seriously looking, before hitting her fist against Annabeth's jaw so hard it threw her off the platform. She smiled. "But that's enough."

Nico and Leo laughed leaning against each other, while Luke only smiled. Piper went to Percy, who hugged her against his chest. He smelled like Winter... Snow, pine trees and clean air.

Piper smiled happily.

 


	8. Epilogue

"C'mon, c'mon, c'mon, c'mon, c'mon!", Piper exclaimed, pulling at Percy's arm.

"Okay, okay, here I come...", Percy laughed, trying to keep the lively daughter of Aphrodite.

She took him to the lake of Camp Half-Blood, who had been his home since his arrival. Nobody judged him for failing to control his powers, although they insisted that a new Cabin was built for the newly discovered son of Khione, Goddess of Snow and Ice.

The Cabin was a beautiful construction of solid blue ice in the German style, padded with ice furniture inside. In the space above the door there was the beautifully carved drawings of a snowflake. There was a fireplace there, used only for visits, that although Percy has made many friends in the camp, were just Piper, Leo, Nico and Luke.

Khione had been judged by the Olympian Council, and found out that she planned to sink the world into snow to become more powerful than any other god, and then become the new Queen of the Gods. She was banished to an island similar to Calypso, where she could freeze everything around at will.

When they reached the lake, all the campers were anxiously waiting, telling Percy and Piper to hurry.

Percy smiled at them.

"Are you ready?"

"Yes!", they said, excited, some clapping.

Percy pointed to the lake water, waiting a while for the naiads to have a chance to leave it. When they did, Percy threw an cold lightning to the lake, which froze quickly.

Campers cheered, and soon began to slide across the ice, laughing and slipping, the skillful almost dancing on the frozen water.

Percy then pointed to Piper's feet, where ice skates formed. She smiled nervously.

"Percy, they are beautiful, but I don't know skating..."

Percy pulled her by the arms to the frozen lake, smiling.

" _ C'mon _ , you can do it!", he held Piper as she tried to stand on the flat ice.

"Look out, zombie coming through!", Luke called as Nico passed by Percy and Piper. The son of Hades glared at him before slipping and falling on his ass.

"Hi, people!", came Leo, helping Piper to take hold.

Percy wrapped an arm around Piper's waist, skating skilfully through the ice. He pulled her close, burying his face in her brown hair.

Piper smiled against his chest, closing her eyes and inhaling his scent, muttering:

" _ And they lived happily ever after. _ "

  
  


_** The End ** _

 

**Author's Note:**

> Written like Grimm's, isn't it? xD A little too direct, not a lot of details... In my defense, I wrote a long time ago... In Portuguese. xD I hope you liked it!


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